Congratulations to our 2026-27 Season Prize Winners!
The California Youth Symphony is thrilled to announce the winners of this year's Young Artist Competition.
Cellist Daniel Wang will perform Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor op. 85, and pianist Sora Corro will perform Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, op. 16 during CYS's 75th Anniversary Season in 2026-27. Honorable Mention goes to violist Colin Breshears who performed William Walton's Concerto for Viola, and Joshua Hsieh who performed Sergei Golovko's Marimba Concerto.
The competition took place on March 28, 2026, at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Osher Salon. This year, 26 young musicians participated in the competition, which consisted of a preliminary round and a final round.
All musicians exhibited exemplary musicianship and artistry and showed a broad depth of outstanding talent within the Bay Area. We encourage all applicants to continue their musical studies and further their artistic growth.
Information about the 2027 Competition will be posted at the start of the 2026-27 Season. For general competition inquiries, please contact Brian McKee, CYS Operations Manager at bmckee@cys.org.
Jessie Nucho | Chair, Young Artist Competition
San Francisco-based flutist Jessie Nucho (she/her) is passionate about sharing both traditional and contemporary music as a chamber musician, soloist, and educator. Jessie performs regularly with the new music ensembles After Everything and Ninth Planet, where she also serves as Artistic Director. As a soloist, Jessie has performed at the National Flute Association Convention, SF’s Center for New Music, the Berkeley Arts Festival, the Hot Air Music Festival, and the Legion of Honor. Jessie is a member of Stolen Time Ensemble and the band Love Can't Save You, Padmé, and she also performs as a substitute flutist with the SF Contemporary Music Players, Empyrean Ensemble, Eco Ensemble, Earplay, and Opera Parallèle. Jessie was a founding member of Siroko Duo, a flute duo dedicated to commissioning and presenting new works in creative spaces. Jessie holds an MM from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Tim Day. Previous instructors include Alberto Almarza and Jeanne Baxtresser at Carnegie Mellon University.
With over a decade of teaching experience of students at all levels and ages, Jessie currently works as the flute instructor with Music for Minors in the San Mateo Foster City School District, is on faculty at Little Mission Studio in San Francisco, and maintains private studios in San Francisco and on the Peninsula.
